I think it’s safe to say that Blue Buddha knew what they were doing when they opened a predominantly vegan establishment, just a few doors down from Animals Australia. No doubt many a staff member are loving this new haunt and methodically testing the comprehensive array of raw vegan sweets.

The small menu at Blue Buddha changes with the seasons and current vegan offerings include '5 stack mini traditional Thai pancakes' ($10) w/ agave, fresh strawberries, house-made coconut ice cream and mushroom bacon, as well as Mexi-style ‘House-made beans’ ($12) on sourdough with guacamole. There is also a 'Blue Buddha burger' ($12 GF optional) w/ a house made beetroot burger patty, green mango coleslaw, mushroom bacon and sriracha (hot sauce!) aioli.

I sampled a takeaway ’Smashing Raph!’ ($12 GF option), with smashed avocado on organic sourdough w/ mushroom bacon strips. This dish was veganised (without feta cheese) and the price remained the same. To meet the expectations of discerning Melbourne vegans, Blue Buddha are now looking into making their own soy cheese, so hopefully we’ll see a vegan cheese alternative from them soon. By the way, the mushroom bacon strips in this dish are really something special - they’re smokey, salty and wonderful!

There are many raw and gluten free sweets on offer which are all vegan, including ‘Raw avocado and lime cheesecake’ ($6)’ and 'Rawsome choc lava tarts w/ goji berries’ ($6). I tried a ‘Raw chocolate & caramel tart’ ($6) which was more about the chocolate than the caramel, and hit the spot nicely. I'm looking forward to trying the ‘Banana bread w/ spiced vegan butter’ ($6) next time.

Blue Buddha is cozy and welcoming, with plenty of reading material on offer, but limited seating. Coffee ($4 or $4.50 large takeaway) is Fairtrade and organic with no soycharge for Bonsoy. More plant-based milks should be on offer in the not too distant future.